This Fragile Gift
by aHeartsSong
Summary: I'm not afraid to die protecting you," she had said. "Because...I love you-" It's the aftermath of Pein's destruction of Konaha. In the hospital recovery ward, Hinata goes to visit the man she confessed her love to.
1. The Visit

(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Kishi)

**~Fragile~**

** -The Visit**

The sterile odor of the medical facility slightly tingled her nose. Lights glared down at the dark, indigo-haired kunoichi as the soft murmur of hushed voices among the medical staff clad in white passed over her ears. The cool night air left her as the automatic doors slid shut behind her. The sandals of her chilled feet tapped lightly on the tiled flooring as she moved numbly through the sparsely populated lobby.

Pearly lavender eyes, half lidded under thick black lashes focused on the checkered square pattern below. The slight hugging of bright yellow and red carnation flowers caused a crisp crinkling sound of the compressed plastic wrap to break through the continuous hum of unbroken soft sounds around her. Hinata made her path slowly down the corridor, up the nearest stairwell a few flights, and to the recovery ward of the medical center. Each step was taken with a measured pain lingered within, her pounding heartbeats rushing blood in her ears as her stomach knotted with anxiety.

With the help of Sakura, Hinata had long since healed from her injury delivered by Pein of the Akatsuki. But it was Naruto who was still in the process of recovering, and it was Naruto who she had come to see. Naruto who her heart bled for. Had it been worth it…? Risking her life to defend Konaha's hero from that terrible man… Of course, how could she say it wasn't? But more importantly, had she accomplished anything by her sacrificial display? Naruto was still hurt, and the Hyuga heiress would have given anything, still, to see him well. To shed him from the shackles of pain…

Everything seemed different, now. Hinata slowly rounded a corner, too lost in thought to notice a passing Ino before accidentally bumping into her.

"Oh," Ino shuffled under the weight of the boxes of supplies she carried. "Pardon me, I didn't see you!" She peaked out from the neatly stacked cubes, her voice trailing off as she followed a distant Hinata continue by with her blue eyes.  
"Hinata…?"

Beneath the boquet of flowers, Hinata's curled hand clutched at her chest where her heart throbbed as nervousness swelled within her. What would Naruto say to her? Oh, she wanted to see him. But she also, strangely dreaded him. No, she was afraid he was disappointed with her for getting in the way. For being a nuisance. What would he say? Especially now that she had confessed her love ot him? All the more heartbreaking- would he even remember that moment in time when she poured her heart out to him…?

Hinata slowed to a stop. Room 428. This was where Sakura said Naruto was at. Hinata felt the sting of threatening tears behind her eyes, and she grimaced, shaking her head from side to side and willed the tears not to show. Parting her pale lips, she drew in a shaky deep breath. For a long time she stood in front of that door under the watch of Ino Yanamako. It took her quite some time to summon up the courage to raise her quivering hand and tap lightly on the door.

"N-…Naru-to…kun…" Hinata was barely able to utter his name above a quivering whisper as the door fell open.

The light tapping was what drew Naruto back to reality. He was upright in bed, propped with several plush pillows behind his back, and the bed sheets pulled to his waist. The bandages on him had become a familiar sight. How many times had he sat in this hospital bed with yards of gauze covering his injuries? His head, his chest left bare, his right shoulder and lower arm. He was a sore sight for the entering Hyuga girl who had attempted to prepare herself for the worse.

"Hinata…" Naruto lifted his head, finding the fellow Shinobi at the doorway, half hidden behind the large floral arrangement she held in her arms. His bright blue eyes softened on her. Her emotional frailty was tangible in the air.

A gentle laugh from his froggy voice, and a goofy signature grin forming on his bruised face, Naruto greeted Hinata with as much cheer and enthusiasm as he could conjure up in the hopes of easing her tension.

"Hinata! Look at you, you're all better!!"

Hinata lifted her eyes from the swirling patterns of the carnations she had hidden her gaze in. His contagious enthusiasm touching her heart and caused the beginnings of a shy smile to curve on her lips.

"Thank goodness!" Naruto idly scratched the back of his head, closing his eyes as he gave a sigh. "I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to you, Hinata!" He peered at her again. "But hey, are you sure it's okay for you to be walking around? I mean, you aren't straining yourself, are you?"

"N-Naruto kun…" Her small, timid voice sounded as her eyes lit up. She was warmed and comforted by his cheerfulness. Her heart swelled with the same love she had for him for years, now. He was always smiling…even now. "Oh…I'm just fine, Naruto-kun!" She made an effort to give him her own smile, stepping into the room from the doorway.

"Um…Naruto-kun…" Shyly, she shuffled over to his bedside and held out the flowers with both hands. "Th-these are for you…"

A faint chuckle and a sincere smile to melt the heart of the Hyuga girl, Naruto took the fancy bouquet with is uninjured hand. For as battered up and injured he was, the boy made it a point to look as cheerful and upbeat as ever. "Thank you, Hinata."

The flowers rested on his lap, he turned his brilliant blue eyes on the pale-faced girl, and again the gaze softened as his heart twisted a little inside his chest. The images rushed back to him, a fresh echo in his mind.

_I'm here of my own free will. _The ever gentle, bell-like voice of the Hyuga heiress reached his ears before his eyes, blurred and smeared with blood and dirt, could clear up to see the Hinata in front of him. Her back turned to him as he looked up from the ground, her stance defensive and palms raised in the gentle-fist fighting fashion. Then came the wrenching of his heart from his chest.

_I'm not afraid to die protecting you. _Violet strands caressed by the wind, her gentility and bravery the image of a goddess. But her picturesque beauty was quick to fade.

_Because…I…love you…_

So suddenly had she been stuck down before his eyes. So suddenly and without warning. Her cry of strength contorted into a blood-curdling scream. Blood stained the ground, and she laid seemingly lifeless at the feet of her attacker, Pein of the Akatsuki. That battered body, the spilling of innocent blood…that was when he lost control and lost his memory to his violent and hell-raising rampage as the six-tailed Kyubi beast.

"Naruto-kun…?"

Naruto opened his vivid blue eyes, drawn to the soft voice of Hinata still at his bedside. Her pale face wearing a soft worried expression revealed in the lilac-lavender of her eyes.

"Are…you alright…Naruto-kun…?"

The boy's lips cracked into a half smile. His eyes half lid themselves. He dropped his gaze to one of many bandages on the arms he folded comfortably on his lap. "Hinata," Naruto's froggy voice was lowered to a sound barely above whispering. He felt his stomach tighten, and his heart twist inside him. The blood rushed in his veins, and his fist clenched lightly over the white blankets. A heavy, tense silence lingered in the air.

"There's…something I need to tell you…"

_*****  
__**  
(I'm honestly not sure where to go with this. I found the drabble on my computer just sitting there and so I slapped a few more paragraphs onto it and left room for growth if I felt like adding to it.**_

_**If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to leave them in a feedback or message me personally.**_

_**The encouragement would be graciously received. ^___^**_

_**Thanks in advance! Otherwise I hope you enjoyed the mini drabble. ^.^ )**_


	2. The Heartbreak

(DISCLAIMER; Nope. Still don't own Naruto. )

**~This Fragile Gift~**

**-The Heartbreak**

"What is it, Naruto-kun…?" The soft, feathery-light voice of the Hyuga heiress tentatively broke the lingering silence. Her hand rested at her chest where her heart pounded with nervousness. Afraid of disappointment, afraid of rejection. Below, the toes of her sandals curled inward, and she lightly held her breath. Signs that further accented her anxiety, along with the trademark antic of her twiddling fingers..

The knot in the pit of his stomach tensed. Naruto let out a sigh and closed his eyes. Again the image of her beaten, bleeding face flashed in front of his eyes despite the veil of shut lids. The rising of a low, sniveling cackle grew from where his accursed Kyubi dwelled deep within.

_Pity_, it said. _What a sweet ambrosia the girl would make…it wouldn't take much to snap her in half, Uzumaki Naruto…I promise to leave her pretty corpse for your pathetic human soul to weep over- Let me play with her a little while. Just a short time, hm?_

"Shut up…!" Naruto gritted behind clenched teeth.

"Huh…??"

The boy's eyes widened with the scuffle of a startled Hinata, shrinking back a couple steps. He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud. A feeble effort to chase away the sinister demon.. Naruto had to relax the furrow of his brow, and the clutch of his fist.

"Uh- Hinata! … I didn't mean-!" The blond stared up, his eyes leaking with the apology he couldn't seem to say. His shoulders hunched a little, and his mouth slightly fell open. Naruto couldn't stand the hurt look on her face, and it weakened his heart. Her widened eyes, a shocked expression, and the timid holding of her hand over her lips. He looked away and ran a hand through his thick hair, scrambling for words. "What I mean to say is…-"

Another difficult sigh, and the boy's voice took on a lower and more serious note. "I know your feelings for me, Hinata. But I-…I can't let you- …I mean I…I can't ever be with you." He raised his bright blue eyes to hold hers after the words fumbled out.. "Not you… Not anyone. Ever.' Sadness masked by a deep frown on his face told the girl he was serious.

"N-Naruto…Kun…"

Again, he had to look away. Naruto could hear the tears welling up in her lilac pearl eyes from her sketchy breathing. Hinata's heart twist painfully inside, and shatter into a thousand shards. Quivering, the room began to spin, and she wished it was all a dream. A very bad dream.

"You almost died because of me." He heard the drip of silent tears, one by one hitting the tiled linoleum floor. He tried to explain the perpetual fear he had of destroying, of murdering the very people he vowed to protect. All because of that untamed beast inside him- and the unpredictability of its rampage, much like the one he recently experienced. It seemed each time he mutated into that ugly beast, he did something more and more deadly. Yes, the hero of Konaha who's vow it was to protect was also a victim, fearing he'd fail in upholding that vow..

"I can't trust myself with anyone as long as…" Naruto swallowed hard, a hand idly resting on his torso where the Fourth Hokage's seal was still engraved on his flesh. Conviction and guilt saturated his lowered tone. "I would never be able to forgive myself if anything…_anything_ happened to my friends. I couldn't live with myself…with the guilt… Especially if that person was someone I... Was someone l-…"

Naruto stopped short. He closed his mouth slowly, unable to complete the sentence. He looked up slowly, cautiously searching for the Hyuga's face. He hoped she understood. The hidden features of her pretty face was another source of guilt. Was he…lying…to her? Maybe just a little bit? The pink-haired medical nin came to mind, stirring conflict and confusion inside. His long-standing affection for Sakura hadn't changed. Did that matter? Was he really 'in love' with either of them? But the idea of denying Hinata love for another- that was something unbearable to even consider. Here Hinata was. And Sakura seemed as far away as ever. Silly schoolboy sentiments aside, his first argument still stood true. He couldn't let himself fall in love, lest he find his claws, or his fangs sunk into their very flesh..

Naruto was overwhelmed and forcibly dismissed the thoughts. This was no time to fret over emotions. Akatsuki was still out there, and so was Sasuke. Konaha was vulnerable since its destruction- there were more important things to focus on.

"But….I…."

That feathery light voice was choked, strangled by tears. Her eyes blurred by tears, and glued to her feet, Hinata struggled to summon as much courage as she could find within herself to speak.

"But! I don't care if you're the host of the nine-tailed beast!" She blurted out, shaking her head with a desperate plea. Locks of indigo hair swirled from the gesture.

"Naruto! I love you!" Hands clutched at her chest grew cold and damp with perspiration. They quivered with effort. "It doesn't matter what happens! Because no matter what- …if we just believe, we can overcome anything! Together…!" A small sniffle, and the tears were a river down her cheeks. "That's what…I learned from you… Naruto-kun… Y-You…taught me to believe…and never...give up."

Stiff and trembling, Hinata raised the sleeve of her pastel purple coat to brush away at her tears. She tried to recompose herself.

"I'm not afraid of what lies inside you, Naruto-kun… I know you would never hurt me or anyone-…" She finally turned her moist, glistening eyes to him. "S-so please… I've…spent the past three years believing I'd be able to share my heart with you… Now I-…I want to believe that we can be…together."

A gentle fall of rain from a softly weeping Hinata. "Please, Naruto-kun! don't-! Don't throw it away…!"

The hand that had been resting on his stomach tightened a bit. He felt his heart twist and tear as he witnessed her crying and her outpouring. The rising, stinging sensation of threatening tears shocked him when the boy found a single teardrop had escaped from the corner of his eyes.

Pushing the blankets off of him, Naruto brought his legs over to the edge of the bed. He felt his warm toes touch the cold floor, and braced himself for the pain of unhealed wounds when he stood- bandages and all to draw a surprised and concerned Hinata into his arms. Into a warm embrace.

"N-Naruto-kun…?"

The girl's voice was muffled against his shoulder. Her wide, pearl eyes blinked a time or two, and her cheeks flushed red. She held her breath in her lungs, unsure of what to do. A hand resting on the back of her head enticed her to relax in his arms. Her heart breathed a little better, here with him. It was a taste of heaven.

"Hinata…"

The closeness of his voice vibrating against her sent chills down her spine. Naruto could feel the pounding of her heart against him. He felt the silky texture of her thick hair. He felt the dampness of her cheek against his bare skin. He smelt the faint scent of lilac flowers. Bandages covered his upper body. The top of his orange sweater had been removed, though the pants stayed. The weight of her body against his further strained the recovering wounds. But the pain was mild. It meant nothing to him.

"Don't cry," He spoke in a strangely calm voice, gingerly lifting her head to wipe her tears away with his fingers. A smile cracked on his lips, and he had to laugh a little when he saw the generous shade of red on her cheeks as he held her head in his hands. "You're always turning red whenever I'm near you."

The girl blinked at him, the familiar feeling of floating on clouds returned to her stomach along with a swarm of butterflies. "Naruto-kun…"

"I guess…I finally understand why, now…" The blond haired boy lowered his hands slowly as the Hyuga recovered her balance. He noticed she immediately went back to fidgeting with her fingers again.

"I'm sorry." He drew her attention back to the seriousness of the former topic. "I'm sorry, Hinata. But I still can't." he spoke carefully, his eyes half lidded with his own sadness and melancholy. "Thank you for trusting and believing in me… But even I don't trust myself. And until I can, or until I figure out away to do something about this thing inside of me- I just can't risk putting someone in danger…by letting them…so close...to me."

Hinata lowered her gaze and they returned to the crosshairs of the linoleum tiles, suddenly taking interest in the flooring.

"Please…try to understand." A forced sigh left Naruto. He dropped his own gaze for a moment before carefully watching Hinata. He was worried about her. About what his words…would do to her.

"Hinata?" Naruto's voice etched with concern when she didn't move or speak for a too long. He slowly reached to touch her shoulder, but she suddenly retreated, to his statement.

"I see…" She finally spoke. "I…understand…Naruto-kun…"

His hand still lingering in the air, Naruto could see easily past the forced smile on her thin lips. Her voice was detached and broken. Her laughter was faint and forced. Her step was weak and wavering.

"Naruto-kun…you're right." It was everything she could do to keep from bursting out into tears. Hinata made her retreat as calmly and with as much repose as she could possibly muster. "Anyway, I…wouldn't want to be…a burden to you…"

She had finally reached the doorway. It seemed to take an eternity to get there. The room was still spinning. She gripped the frame tightly to keep from fainting. "I hope... you feel better, Naruto Kun. I-…I need to go…!"

The step outside of the hospital room felt like freedom, much to her relief. She wouldn't have lasted a second longer. The tears returned and flooded from her eyes as she ran blindly down the corridor, her heart bleeding, aching with a paralyzing anguish. But she wouldn't allow her feet to fail her until she was in the privacy of her own home. Then she would collapse and weep bitterly.

* * *

Jade green eyes had followed the fleeing Hyuga with concern before she found a sad and guilt-ridden Naruto standing off to the side of his bed.

"Naruto!"

Sakura entered the room, medical supplies in hand. She blinked several times and stared at him. She couldn't decide if she should be angry at him for being out of bed when he should be resting, or sensitive to his apparent emotional state. She chose the latter.

"Are you alright…?"

Setting the medical kit down on a nearby chair, she walked over to the boy where he still stared wide-eyed out the door where Hinata had fled. That was when she noted the flowers on his bed. Where they from Hinata?

"Hey!" Sakura waved a hand in front of his face. She frowned a little and followed his gaze out the door before returning it to Naruto just as slowly. His same sadness and shock became reflected on her own features.

"Naruto…" She almost whispered when she spoke. "What have you done…?" She knew the boy was harmless. His morals and personality disallowed him to put anyone down. Hence, her deep concern.

"What did you just say to Hinata to make her cry like that…?"

_**(Still not sure where i'm going with this. I have a vague idea but eh.**_

If anyone has sugestions, please let me know! I could use the help!)


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